The bridge opened at 8 a.m. on Saturday, with Premier Christy Clark riding the first regular transit service across the bridge in 25 years.

"As we officially open the Port Mann Bridge we are eliminating one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in British Columbia," said Clark, in a statement.

"After years of waiting, drivers get to enjoy a faster, more efficient commute and will have more time to spend with their family instead of sitting in an idling car."

Construction will continue on the Port Mann Bridge and along the Highway 1 corridor through 2013. Crews will keep working to complete the bridge to its full 10-lane capacity.

Meanwhile, More than 350,000 drivers have registered for electronic tolling on the new Port Mann Bridge, which expands to eight lanes Saturday morning.

For drivers who registered before the end of November, that means a credit of $30, equivalent to 20 free trips over the bridge. An additional three lanes of the new bridge open today, bringing the total to eight, or five more than the old bridge had. Once the original Port Mann is dismantled and the on-ramps finished in the spring of 2014, the last two lanes of the new bridge will open.

Tolls, $1.50 for cars, won’t take effect until next Saturday, said Greg Johnson, communications manager for the Transportation Investment Corporation, the company set up to run the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project. “We’re really, really happy with the response to registration,” Johnson said. “Having people register is a key to an efficient tolling system. The more people who are registered and have registered accounts and decals, the more it keeps our costs down.”

Johnson said the company hopes to have 400,000 drivers registered by Feb. 28. Drivers who register by then can lock in the introductory toll rate for a year. Otherwise, the tolls for cars doubles to $3 on March 1. A monthly pass for a car costs $75.

There are three ways to register for electronic tolling.

• Online at www.treo.ca.

• By phoning 604-516-8736.

• By going to one of two customer service centres. The Coquitlam Centre on the 2nd floor, 1500 Woolridge St., is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on holidays. The Surrey centre, at unit 102-14815 108th Ave., is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Port Mann Bridge now open to eight lanes of traffic (with video)

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Ignore the diversions in the United States: athletes kneeling or standing during the national anthem; Republicans flailing and failing again on health care; a kick-boxing creationist possibly becoming senator from Alabama. Calamity looms elsewhere. We are hurtling toward war with North Korea. It may be as early as next month. […]

It wasn’t in the middle of a farmer’s muddy field or deep in the boreal forest where the Canadian oilsands truly struck pay dirt. It was inside Fort McMurray’s recreation centre. More than 1,400 oilpatch workers, corporate executives, provincial leaders and the country’s prime minister assembled 21 years ago in northern Alberta to grasp a […]

Google’s powerful search engine is defeating some court-ordered publication bans in Canada and undermining efforts to protect young offenders and victims. Computer experts believe it’s an unintended, “mind-boggling” consequence of Google search algorithms. In six high-profile cases documented by the Citizen, searching the name of a young offender or victim online pointed to media coverage […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.